"Oops, I Left It Behind!" Nearly 3 Billion Won in Cash Reported Lost Over 6 Years... What's the Most Commonly Lost Item on the Seoul Subway?

Lost-item reports to Seoul Metro up 65% in five years
124,000 reported through September this year... nearly half go unclaimed

The number of items left behind by passengers on the Seoul subway has reached approximately 820,000 over the past six years, and the total has continued to rise each year.

According to data submitted by Seoul Metro, which operates and manages the Seoul subway, to Hwang Hee, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, the company received a total of 820,106 reports of lost items over the five years and nine months from 2021 through September 2026.

A view of Sindorim Station on the Seoul subway.

The number of reports of lost items rose steadily from 101,618 in 2021 to 167,738 in 2025, an increase of about 65% in five years. A further 123,879 reports were filed through September this year. If the current trend continues, the total is expected to exceed 160,000 by year-end.

Wallets were the most commonly reported lost items, with 191,223 cases. They were followed by clothing (125,174), mobile phones (114,834) and bags (109,240). There were 52,859 reports of lost cash, totaling 2.9826 billion won.

Although reports of lost items are increasing, the rate at which they are returned to their owners has fallen each year. The rate of items returned to their owners declined steadily from 65.6% in 2021 to 63% in 2022, 60% in 2023, 56.9% in 2024 and 51.5% last year. Through September this year, the rate stood at 49.1%, below half. Seoul Metro keeps lost items for seven days and turns them over to the police if no one comes forward to claim them.

It was also confirmed that 18 disciplinary measures were taken during the period in response to misconduct by Seoul Metro employees involving lost items. Most cases resulted in internal disciplinary action, such as reprimands or pay cuts. Last year, however, an employee who embezzled a wallet found on a train was fined.

“The number of lost items is rising every year, but the proportion returned to their owners has fallen to around half,” Hwang said. “Seoul Metro should work to help passengers retrieve lost belongings easily and quickly, while also establishing internal controls to eliminate misconduct in the handling of lost items and restore confidence in its management system.”

If you leave a personal belonging behind while traveling on the subway, make a note of the train number and the time you got off, then report it to a station attendant immediately. You can check the status of lost-item reports in real time under the “Find Lost Items” section of the Seoul Metro website. You can also search for found items through Police Civil Service 24.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.